http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9C2OPP80&show_article=1 Protesters gather at UCLA to oppose UC fee hike LOS ANGELES (AP) - Hundreds of protesters chanted, marched and took over a building Thursday on the UCLA campus, where University of California regents were scheduled to vote on a 32 percent student fee increase. The UC Board of Regents is considering boosting undergraduate feesâthe equivalent of tuitionâby $2,500 by summer 2010. For a second day, the proposal drew demonstrators to the University of California, Los Angeles. Some came from other UC campuses and stayed overnight in a tent city. The demonstrators outside UCLA's Covel Commons building chanted, beat drums and waved signs urging "No fee hikes" and "Wanted: Leadership." Campus police in helmets with face shields stood guard outside the conference building. UCLA officials said police from several UC campuses were brought in. Laura Zavala, 20, a third-year UCLA student, said she may have to get a second job to afford the increase. "My family can't support me. I have to pay myself," she said. "It's not fair to students, when they are already pinched." About 30 to 50 protesters staged a takeover of Campbell Hall, a building across campus that houses ethnic studies, said UCLA spokesman Phil Hampton. They chained the doors shut but were peaceful and there were no immediate plans to remove them, Hampton said. No arrests had been made, although 14 demonstrators were arrested on Wednesday and cited for failure to disperse or disturbing the peace. Demonstrations also were held at other UC campuses. UC President Mark Yudof told reporters Wednesday he couldn't rule out raising student fees again if the state is unable to meet his request for an additional $913 million next year for the 10-campus system. "I can't make any ... promises," he said. After a series of deep cuts in state aid, and with state government facing a nearly $21 billion budget gap over the next year and a half, Board of Regents members said there was no option to higher fees. "When you have no choice, you have no choice," Yudof said after a Regents' committee endorsed the fee plan Wednesday. "I'm sorry." The Los Angeles meeting was repeatedly interrupted by outbursts from students and union members, who accused the board of turning its back on the next generation. "We are bailing out the banks, we are bailing out Wall Street. Where is the bailout for public education?" asked UCLA graduate student Sonja Diaz. University of California, Irvine, economics student Sarah Bana told the board, "You are jeopardizing California's future." Where is Obama and Congress on this?
Nowhere, because UC is still a bargain. Most state schools are still fairly inexpensive. Instead, they should focus on eliminating these ridiculous for-profit schools like DeVry and University of Phoenix that charge outrageous prices for useless degrees. People drop $75-100k on these shitty degrees and never see a return on their investment. They should consider adopting a higher education system similar to that of Europe or common-wealth nations. Secondary school until 10th grade, and your grades/test scores dictate whether you continue your education at a university or vocational school paid for by the government. It sounds a bit like "Brave New World", but it's the only viable solution.
There is nothing wrong with the current system except the gross overpayment of teachers and the gross greed by the schools themselves. What the left will not tell you is how the cost of education relates directly to the high cost of healthcare. Dr's are forced to charge extermely high prices for procedures to pay the loans they are saddles with due to the cost of getting themselves educated. That would hurt the teachers unions though so the left won't touch it.
Get rid of student loans. If you cant pay for college before you go, you shouldnt get to go. That will pull the prices down. <object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AIcfMMVcYZg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AIcfMMVcYZg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>
Eliminate financial aid and student loans, and it will come back to bite this country in the ass in the not too distant future. Manufacturing jobs and apprenticeship programs have disappeared, and they aren't coming back. For those who aspire to earn a livable wage, higher education is almost a necessity. Schiff likes to use his father, who went to college in the 1940s, as an example. However, he forgets to realize that the average person didn't require a college degree in the 1940s to get ahead. Thus, there wasn't nearly as much demand for higher education as there is today, which is why tuition rates were so low back then. The quintessential libertarian and objectivist Ayn Rand wannabees don't seem to understand this concept. It goes way over their head.
Also, most of these protestors are probably Obama lovers. What has your messiah done for you now, biaaaatches?